I have a 8-3/8" barrel for my early 80's M57 (pinned) and want a 4" barrel. Is it better to just buy a 4" gun, or is re-barreling okay to do? I do know it is hard finding a smith that has any .41 tools or knowledge. If anyone knows of a good S&W smith in the Charlotte, NC are I'd like a referral please. Thanks
Re Barrel M57?
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Big Cholla
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IMHO, you are on to a very 'doable' project to make a great handgun even better. With all the destruction of confiscated guns by police agencies around the USA, a multitude of handgun parts are available on multitude of auction sites of the Internet. Changing out a long barrel for a shorter barrel is not much of a job for any competent pistolsmith. Just make sure that they have the proper fitting action wrench for the N frame. Frames can be twisted out of alignment if the smith does not know what they are doing. I have swapped far more long barrels for shorter ones than I have short ones for longer. ................. Big Cholla
Probably the most significant challenge you will have is finding another pin for the barrel.
If you have a vise, you can do this job yourself. Take a couple of pieces of reasonably hard wood (ash or oak) and clamp the revolver (minus grips and cylinder, of course) between them. Then, using the vise, GENTLY press the wood pieces around the action. They will depress, leaving an outline of the frame. Make sure you get the "snout" of the frame inside the wood.
Then, using a sharpened screwdriver or set of gouges and scrapers and taking taking your time, relieve the wood in the depressed areas. You don't have to get it all, to where the wood pieces meet, but there must be enough wood removed to snugly hold the frame.
Clamp the frame back in the vise using the wooden support pieces, and remove the barrel. This can be done with one of the larger tap holders that adjust down to the size of the tap by screwing the handle in. I don't have one to take a photo of, but any good hardware store should be able to fix you up. It obviously just has to be large enough to go around the barrel. In a pinch, a Stilson wrench (NOT a pipe wrench; they are different!) with a couple of lead shims between the wrench jaws and the barrel will work, too. The lead will deform and contour to the barrel without gouging it. Again, just be careful.
The big thing is to be gentle and go slowly. Full supporting of the frame is a must to keep from twisting the frame, as Big Cholla pointed out.
And you might use some Kroil on the frame/barrel threads. That stuff "creeps" and gets into crevices like nothing I have ever seen.
If you have a vise, you can do this job yourself. Take a couple of pieces of reasonably hard wood (ash or oak) and clamp the revolver (minus grips and cylinder, of course) between them. Then, using the vise, GENTLY press the wood pieces around the action. They will depress, leaving an outline of the frame. Make sure you get the "snout" of the frame inside the wood.
Then, using a sharpened screwdriver or set of gouges and scrapers and taking taking your time, relieve the wood in the depressed areas. You don't have to get it all, to where the wood pieces meet, but there must be enough wood removed to snugly hold the frame.
Clamp the frame back in the vise using the wooden support pieces, and remove the barrel. This can be done with one of the larger tap holders that adjust down to the size of the tap by screwing the handle in. I don't have one to take a photo of, but any good hardware store should be able to fix you up. It obviously just has to be large enough to go around the barrel. In a pinch, a Stilson wrench (NOT a pipe wrench; they are different!) with a couple of lead shims between the wrench jaws and the barrel will work, too. The lead will deform and contour to the barrel without gouging it. Again, just be careful.
The big thing is to be gentle and go slowly. Full supporting of the frame is a must to keep from twisting the frame, as Big Cholla pointed out.
And you might use some Kroil on the frame/barrel threads. That stuff "creeps" and gets into crevices like nothing I have ever seen.
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I was just searching around and see that Manga-Port does some nice conversions. I shot them an e-mail to see if they can shorten my barrel to 5" and add porting. Or buy a 4" and send it for porting and have them install it. I'd really like a 5" barrel, which I cannot understand why there are not more of that length for revolvers. Do you have to use a factory S&W Barrel pin or would a roll pin be used? I'm sure S&W would have some pins I could get.
Boxhead
Member
Call Jim Stroh. This was once a beater 6 1/2" M29-2. I sent him the gun and an 8 3/8" M25-5 45 Colt barrel. He makes a dandy interchangeable front sight too.
A smith wouldn't need any 41 mag specific tools to do the job. All N frames have the same .670 36 thread barrels and in a straight barrel swap he shouldn't really need a tap or die. The pin isn't a problem. Small round spring stock in a drill can easily taken to the correct diameter, or the shank of the correct sized drill bit, heated red and allowed to cool slowly would work fine.
Call Jim Stroh. This was once a beater 6 1/2" M29-2. I sent him the gun and an 8 3/8" M25-5 45 Colt barrel. He makes a dandy interchangeable front sight too.
Oh MY! Those grips are gorgeous.... along with the gun. Whose grips are they? Yeah I know, "yours".....Lol!
Well I can't even find one with a range rod to check alignment. Before I do anything to this gun I have to figure out a flyer issue I have. I just cleaned up the chamber mouths that were rough and yet to fire it to see if it helped any. If not I guess I'll have top get on from Brownells just to check. I don't know what I do from there if it bad.
Big Cholla
Member
Cobbler: Not having access to the proper range rod is not the end of the quest. Proof of the pudding is to shoot the handgun with lead bullet-ed cartridges (a must) while someone is holding a piece of large white cardboard on both sides of the cylinder/barrel gap and about 12" away from the side of the gun. Obviously the cardboard sheets should be large to allow the holder's hands to be far rearward of the said gap. Everyone should use all the hearing protection possible (ear plugs and muffs) specially the two people holding the cardboard sheets. Of course if you only have one helper you must shoot 12 shots, not just 6. IF any cylinder is firing while slightly misaligned with the barrel it will show up on one of the white cardboards immediately. Number the chambers with a sharpie pen and number the individual spots of splatter on the white sheets after each shot. You will quickly be able to tell which chambers are correct and which aren't. The intensity of the splatter also give a readable indication of just how bad any miss aligned chambers are. This sounds like a bit of a bother, but it goes quickly on the range when all the players and components are assembled. Be aware that even a perfectly aligned chamber will spit unburned powder out the cylinder/barrel gap and leave a tell-tail pattern on the white cardboard. I rather doubt that you will find any significant problems with your handgun. This is the original method of checking chamber alignment before range rods were thought of. ............ Big Cholla
Proof of the pudding is to shoot the handgun with lead bullet-ed cartridges (a must) while someone is holding a piece of large white cardboard on both sides of the cylinder/barrel gap and about 12" away from the side of the gun.
Good idea, I'll definitely do this. Check out the pics below. I found and performed this over the weekend. One gentleman I have been in contact with stated that although this will improve the shooting, he was doubtful it is my flyer problem. I used magic marker as dykem for a before and after chamber mouth polished chamfer, black before and blue after. It may not be the source but I will say there were 4 tight chamber mouths, and one I had to use extra force to get the bullet to exit. It is the first bullet on the left, you can see how much scraping there is. I still have not shot the gun after this to see how it will perform, when I do I'll use this paper you mentioned. Thanks
Good idea, I'll definitely do this. Check out the pics below. I found and performed this over the weekend. One gentleman I have been in contact with stated that although this will improve the shooting, he was doubtful it is my flyer problem. I used magic marker as dykem for a before and after chamber mouth polished chamfer, black before and blue after. It may not be the source but I will say there were 4 tight chamber mouths, and one I had to use extra force to get the bullet to exit. It is the first bullet on the left, you can see how much scraping there is. I still have not shot the gun after this to see how it will perform, when I do I'll use this paper you mentioned. Thanks
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Anyone with a lathe can make a range rod. Basically a piece of round stock turned to the correct dimension to clear the lands in the rifling. I use brass. About .3975 would work for a 41
Good idea, I have a machinist buddy that can do that.
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